What is the Most Venomous Tarantula?

The vast majority of New-world tarantulas are not dangerous to humans, but the Poecilotheria family of tarantulas is considered to be the most venomous tarantula family in the world.

What is the Most Venomous Tarantula

A bite from the Poecilotheria regalis tarantula can result in swelling, localized pain, exhaustion, moderate to severe muscle cramping, fever, breathing difficulties, which might be delayed for a few days after the bite.

This spider is also known as the Indian Ornamental spider, as it originates from Southern India. It is quite uncommon in the West, but still widely present on the Indian subcontinent.

Other tarantulas that have potent venoms include Pterinochilus murimus (Mombasa golden starbust tarantula) and the Blue Sapphire tarantula.

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Note: This is general information for people considering tarantulas as pets. It is not medical in nature. If you are bitten by a tarantula, seek expert medical attention immediately.

What is the Most Venomous Tarantula?

Old world species of tarantulas are believed to be among the more venomous tarantulas. These are species that live in Asia and Africa, and are not very common in the West nowadays.

Among the most venomous tarantulas are:

  • Poecilotheria regalis
  • Pterinochilus murimus
  • Blue sapphire tarantula

These tarantulas are not as venomous as the most venomous spiders in the world. For instance, Australian funnel web spiders, which are often considered to be the most venomous spider species in the world, are able to kill a person with its venom and cause severe effects that might be long-lasting.

Tarantula bites are almost never fatal, although they might come with some adverse effects as well, but they will not nearly be as severe as the bites of a funnel web spider.

Some of the most common effects of Poecilotheria regalis tarantula venom include:

  • Localized pain and swelling
  • Exhaustion
  • Muscle cramps
  • Breathing problems
  • Fever
  • Muscle spasms

Luckily, these bites are not life-threatening and will rarely kill a person, although they can be unpleasant. With quick intervention and an antidote that is usually given after such a bite, though, the outcome of a bite is usually positive and with little to no long-term negative effects.

Related: Can a Tarantula Kill a Cat?

About Poecilotheria Regalis

Poecilotheria regalis is commonly seen as the most venomous tarantula species in the world. It belongs to the group of Old World tarantulas, which are tarantulas that exist in Asia or Africa.

This spider is also called the Indian ornamental tarantula. It lives mostly in the south of the Indian subcontinent, but it has been found in other parts of Asia as well, especially on the Indian subcontinent.

It is one of the larger tarantula species out there. Its legs will grow up to 7 inches, and it tends to live in holes of tall trees where it creates funnel webs. They prefer to eat flying insects, which they will trap with their funnel webs.

These spiders are defensive, meaning that they won’t attack you unless you come too close to it or try to touch it. Indian ornamental spider bites are not very common because of this fact, and there has not yet been a recorded death because of the bite of this animal. This just goes to show that tarantula bites are generally not deadly.

Its bite is not life-threatening, but it can cause moderate medical problems. The most common problem is the swelling of the bitten area, which might lead to bacterial infections, which is one of the complications that might cause severe problems to someone bitten by this spider in the long-term.

What Tarantulas Kill You?

Tarantulas will not kill you, because they don’t have a powerful enough venom and not enough of it to kill you.

Even though tarantulas still have venom and use it to kill their prey, it is almost never, or very rarely, lethal for humans. That’s why despite their sometimes scary appearance, they have become a popular species for exotic pet owners.

Tarantulas are carnivores and they’ll eat insects and animals that are potentially even larger than them. To kill those animals, they ambush them and then inject venom into their bodies, which will paralyze the animal and kill it off. Tarantulas have enough venom to paralyze an animal several times larger than itself.

It is not unusual for tarantulas to bite humans, though. They do it for self-defense and tarantula bites can be quite nasty, but they will almost never result in death.

Even with the most venomous tarantula bites, you will see some side effects that might persist for a couple of hourse to even a few days, but can be treated quickly with the help of modern medicine.

Are All Tarantulas Venomous?

Yes, the vast majority of tarantula species have venom, which they will use to paralyze and kill their prey.

However, tarantula bites are not deadly to humans even though some tarantula bites might cause side effects that are not pleasant.

Pain and swelling are very common after tarantula bites, but some bites might lead to more severe problems like muscle spasms, which might lead to someone seeking emergency help. However, these instances are not common and they normally end up well for the person bitten.

If you plan on owning a tarantula as your pet spider, then you’re very unlikely to experience bites from your tarantula. Your pet spider will get used to you over time and wll not bite you, but you should still be wary of how you handle your tarantula. You can also choose to get a more docile tarantula species like these ones.

In any case, it’s important to know the potential effects of a tarantula bite if it does happen to you, even if you keep your tarantula as your pet. Only this way you will be able to treat yourself or be able to seek treatment for the bite, but luckily for you, there have been no recorded deaths as of yet because of tarantula bites.

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Conclusion

The vast majority of tarantula bites are not deadly, but they might cause some unpleasant side effects. The Poecilotheria regalis tarantula (Indian ornamental spider) is the most venomous tarantula species in the world, and its bite can cause moderate to severe effects on your body.

So far, there have been very few recorded spider bite deaths from pet tarantulas (and most are from complications such as gangrene rather than the venom itself). In other words, owning tarantulas is relatively safe, but you should still handle them with caution.

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